


Tricks

by Fool_and_King



Category: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard - Rick Riordan
Genre: Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, I Don't Even Know, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, POV Minor Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:08:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25668703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fool_and_King/pseuds/Fool_and_King
Summary: Randolph Chase thought he would never had to get tangled in this. He thought he would break the cycle, be the first one of his family to reject the Aesir and their paranoia. Live a normal life with a normal family, and die a normal death. But it was never that easy.Odin insisted that his involvement in the fate of his nephew was key, and for years, he ignored the call.But the fear of retribution became too strong. After an unfortunate quest for the Allfather, and the deaths of his wife and daughters, he's forced to turn around.Completely.Only a trickster is wily enough help him reunite with his family in Hel, all the while avoiding the Allfather's sight.
Kudos: 7





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Don't mind me, I just have tons of thoughts about minor/unpopular characters in this relatively small fandom.  
> Will eventually include more additional tags, probably.

This again. 

A massive hall extended before me, broad and tall as the glory it promised.  
Warriors and shield maidens of all genders and races feasted eternally as they waited for the final day. The glorious twilight of the gods, where every single one of them would fight and once again die valiantly, this time along with the great ones.  
From the throne at the beginning of the table, decorated with furs, jewels and two loyal ravens; a now-familiar man greeted me once again with a warmness that had turned bitter. 

"This could be yours, lord Chase." A small smile showed through his white beard, and his one working eye glinted with an emotion I didn't quite like. "All of this. Knowledge. Justice. Glory."  
His tone of voice was benevolent and promising. He seemed to expect a different reply than every previous time. I didn't comply now either.  
"Thank you for the offer, Allfather," I began. "but this is not my glory."  
I thought of my family members in an afterlife not so glorious. My father, born to another name, with none of this on his shoulders, light at birth. My mother, born a Chase and compliant to it. My sister, who mothered a child of one of these gods.  
My wife and my daughters, this weight not theirs to carry.  
If I couldn't be with them again, I wouldn't accept any glory.  
The Allfather knew what happened to them, and he was determined to use it against me. To weaken me even more.  
"Is that so?" His expression hardened. All his warriors turned to me with the same look of despise. 

The dream normally ended here. Now, though, the assembled warriors grew above me as Odin dissolved into a mist, all together turning the hall into a dark forest.  
My only company now were the two ravens, perched on a branch in front of me. Hugin and Munin, Thought and Memory. Odin's messengers.  
Not comforting company to me.  
They both spoke at once, two mouths for the same voice. The same voice I'd dreaded in the hall.  
"You're running out of time, Chase."  
Odin's voice echoed, along with a sharp caw from each raven. They began to dissipate, followed by the forest around them.  
Then the Allfather put up a much worse scene for me. 

Trapped in a mist at open sea, steering an old boat. Inherited, like all my pompous wealth. Searching for a demigod's birthright.  
If I could make sure Magnus wielded his father's sword, maybe it would all be over. 

My wife and my daughters were with me, a storm around us. And Sumarbrander, lost.  
As the storm got worse, I tried to assure them we would get out of it. Caroline believed me, she really did. Our daughters clung to her as I tried to stabilize the boat. Emma kept her eyes shut tight, not making a sound. Aubrey clutched her toy boat with one hand and her mother's arm with the other.  
"It's okay," Caroline whispered frantically to the girls. "Dad's got this. We're safe."  
"We're almost there!" I assured, trying to keep them and myself calm.  
But just as we were reaching the coastline, flames began to erupt from the side of the boat. And everything else happened just as suddenly. 

I found myself alone, safely ashore. Only I had survived, and it was the will of a god.  
In the distance, fire. And where there was fire, Surt was there. Laughing. Laughing maniacally at his victims.  
And in the coast, there was Odin. Looking down at me with the same cold expression and no intention to help me as long as I didn't give him what he wanted. 

"Make your choice, Chase. The end looms closer each day, and neutrality is not a choice. What side would you rather be in?"

I woke up shaking, wondering if he would ever leave. Anyone would say it was just a dream, but I knew he was real. And I wasn't safe at all. If Odin wasn't there, Surt would be free to kill me as well.  
But there wasn't an option. Even the fire giant was intimidated. Whatever I did, Odin would be there. He was determined to have me at his side, whatever it took. But if he succeeded, I would never see them again.  
One part of me said to let it go. Just treasure the memories, because it's the only thing that's left of them. But something else deep down said that maybe... Maybe it was not all lost. 

Of course, those were just old superstitions. And a family habit just as old.  
Ancient gods were often talked about in my family. And out of it, it was a widespread rumor that we had historical connections to them. We weren't good at hiding things. My mother, my brother, even my sister Natalie, may she rest in peace, all had connections to the gods of old. Even though those used to be just myths. Even though I tried my hardest to make them stay that for me. Could I carry on opposing them? Should I have gone with them all along? The reason I didn't do it no longer mattered, after all.  
They were gone. 

I just now noticed I'd woken up at my studio, on my desk chair, and that it was almost three in the morning.  
The old maps and the notes from my investigation on the Sword of Summer were just as I'd left them. It felt like they were mocking me. As if they were saying "Hey, we've got everything together better than you do, and we're pieces of paper".  
But the truth is nothing was together in that house. That damn house. "The Noble House of Chase" my ass. Without my family there acting as rose-colored glasses, I saw the family mansion as Natalie had seen it when she went away. As it really was. Empty, even with all those ancient relics, and even though some of them were mine.  
But I always feared some kind of retribution if I ever left it behind. Because the gods keep watch. And us Chases are a subject of interest. So as much as I despised the house and the enormous, though invisible load that came with it, I'd built a good life and a family there. Because if I left, the gods would suspect I have something to hide. If I left, and they found me… That could be worse.

But my family was gone now. All I had left were memories, and even those were tainted since then. Since I did that incredibly foolish thing.  
The Aesir already suspected I was conspiring against them somehow. They thought I was rejecting thim in favor of something else.  
There was no hope to get them back as long as Odin was on the way. Or was there?  
It seemed like an ancient practice, but my mother had told me about how she'd called on the gods during her youth for guidance, using the fireplace in the family house to get a message to another plane. Even though I'd always made an effort to see it as some kind of fairytale, she talked about like she got an answer.

Which she did. Of course she did.  
As much as I wished it wasn't, I knew this was all real. I was already caught up in Odin's insistence for Ragnarok to happen. I had to play a part.  
But I just wanted to go back. I didn't need more destruction. Odin wouldn't help me towards that. But maybe there was someone out there who would.  
I looked through the window and realized the moon was full. That was supposed to be a perfect time.  
Its light made the set of runestones in my showcase gleam. I thought it was time I used them for their original purpose.  
I tore out a piece of one of the stray papers on my desk and, with the first pen I got my hand on, wrote a message in the form of runes.  
Laguz for the renewal I wanted, Othala for the family I missed, Kaunaz for the revelation I needed and Isa for the stagnation I had to let go of.  
The fire gleamed vividly, as if offering support on my intent. I promptly threw the strip of paper into it and watched it burn for a while, letting my thoughts burn away too.  
I took a deep breath; and I went to sleep with a surprising feeling of peace that night


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His plea is answered and a deal is struck. Randolph finally takes a step.   
> Now, under the wing of two of Asgard's most recognized enemies, he will start his journey. One that completely strays from what the gods and his ancestors would've wanted. One he should've started many, many years ago.

A few hours later, I woke up from undisturbed sleep, something I'd missed dearly. Even though it had been short, I felt genuinely okay for the first time in... How long? Months, maybe even years. It didn't matter much anymore.   
After a trip to the kitchen and a few sips of coffee, I stepped into my studio once again, uncertain whether my intention was to continue the investigation or just sit alone with my thoughts. I didn't know which idea was more appalling. 

But I didn't have to ponder much more. I let go of both possibilities and the coffee mug I was carrying, all dropping to the floor as soon as I saw the stranger sitting at my desk.   
A man with long, flaming red hair framing his slim face. Despite how mutilated he looked -the rows of scars on his lips and the scorch marks across his nose bridge and cheekbones-, he was unnaturally handsome. As much as he was unsettling.   
He didn't seem bothered by my reaction. He chuckled and gracefully waved his hand in a swiping motion. The remains of the mug vanished.   
He looked up from the maps on my desk, which he'd been walking his fingers through, and smiled.   
"Lord Chase." The mysterious man arched his eyebrows, his eyes glistening. "Thank you for the invitation."

Invitation…  
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the piece of paper I'd thrown into the fireplace the night before, surprisingly not consumed, a few wisps still burning at its corners.   
ᛚ • ᛟ • ᚲ • ᛁ  
L - O - K - I.   
What? No. This wasn't happening. How was this happening? How had I not noticed that before? Was that simple coincidence the reason he was here?  
I was used to godly presences, and his was no different. I knew it was really him. But was this the answer I was looking for?  
I'd expected anything, but I hadn't really known what 'anything' entailed. 

I knew who he was, but only in theory. He wasn't someone easy to know.   
Though, at the same time... He didn't seem threatening. And most of the time, he wasn't. Most of the stories wrote him simply as a trickster. Not evil, only... Complicated. And in some, he was just the laugh track. The one who got beat up, or put others' faults on display with no filter whatsoever.   
But he took a wrong turn towards the end, orchestrating the murder of Odin's son.   
And I still didn't know what he wanted of me. 

"I suppose an introduction is in order, huh?" He smiled and held an open palm to his chest. "Loki Laufeyjarson, at your service."

"Well, then," He was better than the only other option I had. "I don't know if you had been in Chase territory before, Loki, but I'll gladly be the one to welcome you." I doubt that any of my ancestors would've sought an alliance with the bound Loki.  
He smiled a genuine smile, not that of a liar.   
I couldn't be sure, but I had to take all the help I could get. 

"You seem like a put-together man..." He side-eyed one of my showcases, the one containing all my honors from my teaching years. I suspect it was to get my name.   
He smiled to himself as he saw my awards from the University of Massachussets, perhaps comical after Harvard's.   
"... Randolph, is it?"  
I simply nodded. I figured he had more things to say.   
"And you know who I am, of course." He raised an eyebrow, as if incredulous that a, in his words, 'put-together' man like me would require him, of all gods.   
"Of course" I said. Now that I thought about it, he seemed strangely familiar. Well, he was; I'd worked with stories that included him for years. But... There was a different kind of familiarity to both his appearance and mannerisms. Had we met before?  
But I left that question on hold when he put his smile back on, his intense eyes beaming. "I will gladly help you with that," he resumed, referencing the runic message in the fire, "... In exchange for your assistance with what I have in mind."

What he had in mind… It couldn't be too bad, could it? Loki's only ambition was… Breaking free.  
I've been put through worse things by more benevolent gods. This may take long, but I'm sure I'll be immensely thankful when it's done.

"I know of this kind of deals in passing, of course." I said, considerably calmly given the situation. "I require a favor from you, but it won't be done for free. I'm willing to do anything. Have my word." 

He laughed. "Good to know we're on the same page. You shall know, I have my own strife. Not very different from yours." A determined look took over his easygoing expression. "And I'm not the only one who needs this".   
I blinked. Did I? I'm not sure. The next thing I know, there's two strangers in front of me instead of one. 

My new guest was a woman who looked around the same age as Loki. They both looked ironically younger than me, being older than all ancient things I've studied in my lifetime.   
She sat on the chair's armrest, also smiling. But she had a different sort of feeling to her. Tan, freckled skin; short, curly brown hair and a warm smile on her face. While Loki had a dangerous facade, this woman felt... Kind, welcoming. Safe. Or at least, safer.   
"It's nice to know we're not alone". She glanced at him. "Isn't it?"   
Loki smiled. "It really is."  
She turned back to me. "The name's Sigyn."   
Of course. Loki's wife. There were few known facts about her. Only their marriage, and her loyalty. She stood by him, easing his torture as much as she could; holding a basin above his face to shield him from the snake's venom. She should be an interesting one as well.   
"It'll be a pleasure to help you, Lord Chase."  
I smiled. "It'll be a pleasure to have you both."   
And I was being honest. Better them than...   
"Odin?" Loki whispered, completing my thoughts as a sneer formed on his lips. "I'd recognize my estranged brother's essence anywhere. A traveler's trail, laced with imposed destiny and slight air of superiority..." He topped that statement with a mockingly analytical gesture. "A shame, the day he begun to think that destiny was in his hands."

Specific, yet I knew exactly what he was talking about.   
He abruptly turned to me, as if realizing something. "Oh! I'm sure he's been trying to make sure you don't drift away, has he?" It seemed to amuse him, perhaps because he'd been through the same himself.   
A cheeky smile formed in Sigyn's lips. It occurred to me that she had been forsaken by Odin as well. Her sons killed without a second thought, their entrails used to bind their father. 

'Drift away'... That's a nice way of putting it.   
I chuckled. "He's been quite... Insistent about it, yes. But I figured I'm already in his bad books, ignoring his call for so long. He won't do any good for me."

"Of course he won't,". Sigyn grinned. "So, seeing as he considers you his enemy, you vow to work with two of his biggest defiers. Good call."   
I found myself smiling, thinking about how much potential this had. I didn't even think about what I'd have to do as my part of the deal. The worst possibility would always be death, and well... As long as I got to Helheim with my family, it would be alright. That's exactly what Odin was keeping me from. That's why I called out. 

"And?" she resumed. "What will the deal be, hm?"   
"Well, I've realized we all have a similar weight on us. Lost family, and the Allfather's hostility." I pointed out, "So I thought we could help each others out."  
"Ooh, I like where this is going." Loki grinned. "We are open to help you, of course, but what we need... It may be big on you, hm?" He raised an eyebrow. 

"It may be. But you need one of noble blood, do you not?"

"We do, yes." Loki put his index finger up to his chin and looked up, as if plotting a statement in his head. "The kind of weapons qualified to break my bonds know what they're worth, they're extremely picky with who gets to handle them." He smiled. "You would be a fit candidate for that, yes, but what about all that comes before?"

I blinked, caught off-guard. Of course, there had to be a process. But just what came before?

"I'm sure if I am a fit candidate to break your bonds, then whatever else comes with it will be no problem at all." 

The two gods looked at each other with the same complacent smile on their faces.

"It shan't be, then!" Loki exclaimed. "But of course, we'll need a plan."  
"Oh, but these things can't be rushed, dear, now can they?" Sigyn brushed her husband's hand with her own. "We'll need to introduce him to the crew first, at least."

The crew? What was that about?

Loki smiled. "Of course, love. I'm sure with some preparation, he'll be a real hit."   
He turned to me with a determined smile. "You see, Randolph, you're signing up for a big role in the process of Ragnarok. The biggest, if I may say. It's only right that everyone else involved know about you. Family, friends... Fellow enemies of Asgard. The future crew of Naglfar."

Sigyn nodded. "And as your role in freeing Loki is a heroic one, then you must prove to our people that you're worthy of it. See, we'll be taking you to Okólnir, Loki's hometown in Jotunheim. The rest of the crew will be there, and in order to formally join us, you will have to prove yourself against Loki and his siblings, each in their own challenging speciality."

So I was about to join some sort of underground mob, and take it from there. Sound plan. 

"We will train you beforehand, of course." She added. "We have to make sure you get through."

"What do you say, then?" Loki asked tentatively, extending his hand. "Do we have a deal?"  
And it was all like a movie. This was the moment when the suspicious stranger offered 'a deal you can't refuse', while you're completely aware it may ruin your life. But what do you do when the one who's supposed to be the good guy has already ruined it? You might as well turn it around. 

"Of course."  
I shook his hand.


End file.
